Synapses go off like fireworks every time I attend a RYSE event or workshop. RYSE consistently approaches trauma-informed work from a structural, systems lens; then shares the fruits of their learning in workshops available to the public.
The Mississippi fight against integration and civil rights was the most organized, defiant, and violent of anywhere in the country. But until 2011, civil-rights history was not part of the required curriculum in Mississippi public schools. “Before then, it was up to the discretion of the teacher if the civil-rights movement was taught at all inside a classroom,” according to the reporter Sierra Mannie. In 2011, the Mississippi Department of Education issued a new set of standards requiring...
In the American health care debate, “single-payer” is hardly a new concept. The idea has grabbed headlines and sparked countless political and policy discussions, not to mention campaign advertisements. Other countries with single-payer systems include South Korea and Taiwan. But “single-payer” merely means that the government pays all the bills. The mechanics can vary from country to country. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) recently visited Canada, touting that system’s benefits. How much do...
The deadliest mass shooting in modern American history left 58 dead and hundreds injured, but thousands of the other traumatized victims won’t be able to get settlements from the record-breaking $22 million fund set up to help them, the Los Angeles Times reported. Those suffering psychological trauma from the Oct. 1 shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival with 22,000 attendees won’t be eligible for claims under the final terms of the fund, announced Frida y. Instead, claims eligible...
The question is an eternal one, but it is particularly relevant during the holiday season: Can money buy happiness? New research offers a nuanced answer: it depends on what, exactly, brings you joy. "What seems to be the case is that your wealth predisposes you to different kinds of happiness," lead author Paul Piff , a psychologist at the University of California–Irvine, said in announcing the results. He reports wealthier people find joy "in their accomplishments, status, and individual...
Children and adolescents who suffer adversity, including abuse, throughout childhood tend to have poorer cardiometabolic health, according to an American Heart Association committee report. All forms of abuse, including bullying, neglect, or witnessing violence, are linked to a greater increased risk of cardiovascular disease, said the report, authored by Shakira F. Suglia, ScD, of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues writing in Circulation.
The algorithms that play increasingly central roles in our lives often emanate from Silicon Valley, but the effort to hold them accountable may have another epicenter: New York City. Last week, the New York City Council unanimously passed a bill to tackle algorithmic discrimination — the first measure of its kind in the country. The algorithmic accountability bill , waiting to be signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio, establishes a task force that will study how city agencies use...
(Reuters Health) - - Both LGBQ sexual identity and traumatic experiences in childhood are linked to a heightened risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, U.S. researchers say. Teens who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or are questioning their sexual identity are also more likely than their heterosexual peers to have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in childhood, the study team reports in Journal of Adolescent Health. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents...
The field of positive psychology has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Now almost everywhere you look, you see articles in mainstream publications about the science of happiness and emotion, purporting to tell us the secrets to achieving a happier life. Historian Daniel Horowitz, professor emeritus at Smith College, became fascinated with the rising popularity of this scientific movement. But he was also disturbed by some of the larger social and political themes many in the field...
Chris Newman used to be a software engineering manager, well-paid, but he worked long hours, ate fast food and went to the doctor a lot. Eventually, enough was enough. He and his wife moved from the Washington, D.C., area to Charlottesville, Va., to become farmers. Now he is healthier, has fewer stomach problems and can eat dairy products again. He raises pigs, ducks and chickens. "Because I grow all this stuff, I tend to eat it. I don't eat at Popeyes anymore. I think it's disgusting. I...
This interactive tool allows you to explore how changes to housing costs, minimum wage, and the social safety net could affect child poverty statewide and in your county. We find lower housing costs and minimum wage increases could lower child poverty substantially—while helping Californians across the income spectrum. And though investments in California’s safety net would need to draw from the state budget, these approaches could also reduce child poverty considerably—while concentrating...
How do you build a narrative around ACEs science, bolster it with data and convince your leadership that integrating it is critical for the community you serve? Representatives from San Francisco Bay Area health and social service agencies had an opportunity on December 5 to learn about ACEs science, find data sets to help them make a case for supporting ACEs education and resiliency programs, and then role play ways to deliver powerful messages. Donielle Prince, ACEs Connection Network’s...
For me, resiliency is in part innate. I don't think we can teach resilience. Through love and connection we can most certainly nurture it. A key piece of resiliency is connection with others. I look back at all that I have endured in my life and wonder what made me keep getting back up. Why did I become more tenacious each time life and family knocked me down? For me, what kept me going was being out in the world connecting with people throughout the day. It made me feel part of something...
The notion that drug addiction is a health condition is not, in the main, controversial in 2017—not politically and not medically. For decades, doctors and researchers have categorized it as a disease, and in recent years the majority of the American public has caught up with them, with widespread support for increased access to treatment and reduced reliance on incarceration. But this consensus hasn’t entirely translated to the courts. There’s perhaps no case that illustrates this...
One of the most damning features of the U.S. criminal justice system is its vast racial inequity. Black people in this country are imprisoned at more than 5 times the rate of whites; one in 10 black children has a parent behind bars, compared with about one in 60 white kids, according to the Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality. The crisis has persisted for so long that it has nearly become an accepted norm. So it may come as a surprise to learn that for the last 15 years, racial...